"Raising Consciousness, Challenging Oppression, Inspiring Action"

A Message for Black Feminists, Black Nationalists, and Black Members of the LGBT Community

The Black Liberation Movement/Struggle throughout history helped our people to wake up, clean up and stand up.” We became aware of our connection with Africa and the Diaspora; We straightened our backs as we demanded and fought for justice; We built organizations and institutions to advocate for and solve our own problems. We did all of this despite state-sanctioned deprivation, discrimination, political repression and murder.

Our superhuman feats and faith informed and inspired other disempowered people who then launched or re-launched their own effective sociopolitical movements (women, LGBT).

To the extent that oppressed and marginalized people were empowered, this was a good thing. No one should be mistreated or deprived of dignity, regardless of if we understand or agree with their beliefs. Ultimately, we all yearn to be free. This of course includes Black women and members of the LGBT community. However the emergence of these two groups has not been without conflict.

Black women and members of the LGBT community like all of us, face mistreatment and exploitation due to white supremacy. They also endure additional mistreatment and rejection from some elements of the larger Black community. Narrow-minded and fundamentalist elements within the Nationalist community with our sometimes chauvinist and insensitive rhetoric and behavior have not helped the situation. Such intolerant and repressive attitudes and behavior (similar to that of racist rednecks) has helped to create “extremist” factions in the Black Feminist and LGBT communities (like similar factions in the Nationalist community) who develop unsound, inaccurate, and imbalanced perspectives as a result. Those who disagree with their perspectives are soon painted with broad (negative) strokes, ostracized, and met with indifference, distrust or flat out hostility.

Whether we acknowledge this or not, such intra-group hostility and intolerance constitute MAJOR threats to our collective liberation. The simple truth is Black Feminists Black Nationalists and the LGBT community have existed for longer than we imagine, and most likely aren’t going away just because anyone disagrees or feels “uncomfortable” by their presence. We are therefore left with two choices: Continue to attack, ignore or isolate one another, or begin discussions to heal, understand and work together. I am convinced that the first option will make all who participate in it, unwilling collaborators with white supremacy and Black subversion….in addition to making us inhumane and unprincipled.

We must seriously discuss ways to preserve/empower ourselves as a race against those who seek to eliminate us, while ensuring that we don’t maintain oppression, hostility or indifference among the various subsets of our race, all vying for recognition, respect, and power themselves (and rightfully so). Unless we give this serious energy, our alliances, priorities and hostilities will cause us to rot from within, seek each others’ decimation, and be absorbed and manipulated by outsiders and interlopers who despise and seek to dominate us all.

Agyei earned his Bachelor’s Degree in sociology from Syracuse University, his Master’s Degree in Africana Studies from Cornell University, and his Master’s Degree in Afro-American Studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

If you are interested in bringing Agyei to speak or provide consultation for your organization, please contact him at truself143@gmail.com